The present invention relates to information retrieval methods on large scale machine generated data (both structured and unstructured data), and more particularly to indexing and searching large amounts of machine generated data collected from disparate sources.
In general, computer security (or cyber security) is the process of preventing and detecting unauthorized use of a computer. Prevention measures help one stop unauthorized users (also known as “intruders”) from accessing any part of a computer system. Detection helps one to determine whether or not someone attempted to break into a system, if they were successful, and what they may have done.
Intruders (also referred to as hackers, attackers, or crackers) may not care about one's identity. Often they want to gain control of a computer so they can use it to launch attacks on other computer systems.
After taking control, the hackers can hide their true location as they launch attacks, often against high-profile computer system, such as government or financial systems. Even if one has a computer connected to the Internet only to play the latest games or to send email to friends and family, the computer may be a target.
Intruders may be able to watch all one's actions on the computer, or cause damage to the computer by reformatting a hard drive or changing data.
Unfortunately, intruders are always discovering new vulnerabilities (informally called “holes”) to exploit in computer software. The complexity of software makes it increasingly difficult to thoroughly test the security of computer systems.